I thoroughly enjoyed our trip up to Washington today. It had been the first time I had been in the city since I was about 12 years old. My memories of that trip were certainly fading away. After reading about it throughout the last few weeks, I felt it was apt that we started our exploration at the Washington Monument. I still had a very clear image of it in my mind, but the scale and monumentality of it didn't cease to amaze me. As I stood at the base of the monument, I didn't quite know what to think other than to simply look up and be amazed by it. This emotive, tangible response to the monument is an interesting one to evoke in a place that honors an individual who would seem to merit deep thought and intellection.
On almost the entirely other side of the spectrum, I felt very deeply moved upon the sight of the JFK burial and memorial wall at Arlington National Cemetery. I felt more moved at this place than any other sight we encountered. This surprised me. I have no memory of JFK or much of anything related to him, my parents never spoke of him much, and I know very little about his life and death. However, I was nearly brought to tears by the weight of the place- under the half-mast flag, above a view of the entire capitol, in the presence of his wife and others. I was moved by the thought that his life was cut far short, and this thought brought the weight that I am sure many felt at the time of his death. There were no didactic panels, but there were inscribed quotations across the wall below his burial. To me, this was a much different way to commemorate an individual than the Washington Monument. It was a provocative comparison to make and I feel that the difference between these two memorials illustrate the variety of the DC landscape as a whole.
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